Post Apocalypse
by IcarusFalling23
Summary: 7 years from now, the world is in chaos. Roxas works in a factory to support his family, while Axel is spoiled by luxury. So what happens when they meet in the worst of circumstances?
1. Introduction

Seven Years from now, everything will change.

When the sun sank at 3, the world was silent. A curfew had been instated by an unspoken need; it really was for the citizen's protection. Those few politicians left that were uncorrupted tried to do what they could, encouraging people to plant indoors and not venture outside after dark. Artificial lighting helped keep the plants alive and gave the people the vitamin D they couldn't get from their dying sun.

This story takes place 8 years from now, a year after the Stock Market collapse completely, a year after tsunamis decimated Asia, after slavery again reared its ugly head. People are taken from their homes in the dead of night, and city officials are bribed to help move them. The world is corrupt, a creature living only by eating its own flesh. People haven't stooped to that level, but it can only come as the land becomes sterile from the nuclear fallout. The people are safe, having been moved into bunkers underground when the bombs were being dropped. So you might ask, what was the point of dropping the bombs then? Simple: heads of countries used petty vendettas to justify their actions in the long run: they couldn't kill the people, but they could make sure that they would die slowly. Only the rich survive, able to have personal farms indoors in carefully tended conservatories. And of course, the people doing the farming? The same people that were stolen from their homes by police officers trying to make a profit. The cops are as bad as the criminals: they just have a badge to back up their brutality.


	2. Shoots

Roxas walked down the street in the dusky twilight. He huddled into his sweater, pulling the hood up to hide his hair and ducking into the shadows. If only his mom would let him dye it… He sighed loudly and thought of his brother Sora. _Sora_ did whatever he wanted, regardless of what people thought. _Sora_ didn't have to provide for their family, _Sora_ didn't have to work in a factory every day,_ Sora_ got to be a kid for a while longer… Roxas blinked heavily, shaking off his sudden melancholy and hiding his hair under his hood tightly. He shouldered his bag and darted into the alley that led to the back entrance of his family's apartment. He looked both ways quickly, and dashed down the stairs to the sub-entrance. The brick and wrought iron blocked him from view as he slid off his hood at last outside the door. The last of the dim light caught his gleaming hair and made it shine. Roxas ruffled it briefly so his mother wouldn't be able to tell he'd hidden it, and he unlocked the door. He stepped through quickly and locked it behind him. Roxas' mother, Aerith, called to him from the kitchen and he slid off his shoes by the door. He walked past their garden and into the living room. Sora was sitting on their tattered couch and chatting with one of his friends. _Kairi, isn't it? _Sora was giggling about something, and they turned to watch him as he walked into the kitchen. Kairi exploded into giggles, and Roxas blushed as he realized they were talking about him again. Roxas the failure. Roxas the factory-boy. Roxas the older brother. Roxas, Roxas, Roxas. Didn't they have anything better to do? He walked into the kitchen and saw his mother sitting at the counter, leaning into her work as she stirred the soup they'd be having yet again. Roxas couldn't remember the last time they'd had something solid…probably before the End… The End was what everyone called the darkness after the blast; when almost all the plant life on the planet had been killed off by radiation. When the people climbed out of the cement bunkers deep underground, everything was covered in ash. Most of the buildings were intact, but the trees, even the _grass_ was grayed and powdery. The only things that survived were the seeds in garden stores and the remains of green houses. People had to plant in doors, and, once the sun started to die, they had added heating lamps to try and keep the plants alive for as long as possible. Almost every country had had the same idea: "If _our_ home is going to be destroyed, shouldn't we take a couple others with us?" It wasn't enough to work together to find a solution; people were petty, and they always would be.

Roxas looked at his mother carefully. There was more grey in her hair, more lines on her face. She looked weary. Roxas smiled at her fakely and handed her his backpack.

"Hey, Ma…got a new seed today!" he said cheerfully.

"Roxy, that's fantastic! What'd ya get? What'd ya get!?" She laughed. She dropped her hands to her apron-clad waist, and turned to face him. Her long braid dangled over her shoulder and the ribbon played at the edge of the stove.

"Ma, move! Geez!" Roxas yelped, darting forward to pull her away from the flame.

"Sorry, Roxas… Guess it's time to cut my hair again!" she joked, pretending not to notice how careless she'd been. Roxas shook his head worriedly and opened up his bag. He pulled out the container carefully and placed it on the counter.

A small scoop of dirt with a tiny seedling poking through it marked his completion of another 6 weeks at the factory. People didn't really have a use for money anymore, so they traded using seeds. Depending on how well an employee did, they were rewarded with the means to feed their family. Today, Roxas had brought home a shoot from a wheat plant. Once it grew, his family could plant more from the seeds, and eventually, have enough to harvest. It would take a long time, but wheat grew quickly indoors. His mother opened the container carefully and carried it into the greenhouse. She transplanted the shoot in a row with the other plants and watered it lovingly. Roxas smiled; if Aerith could work in a greenhouse all day, she'd be the happiest woman alive. He left the greenhouse and walked into his room. He sat down on his bed and pulled off his grubby sweatshirt. He had to keep it on all day, or risk someone taking him. People with blonde hair went pretty quickly nowadays, and with his hair and his stunning blue eyes, a kidnapper would make a bundle off him. He had pale, unblemished skin, shining blonde hair, and was short enough to appear delicate. Pretty as he sounded, Roxas could defend himself pretty well. Last time someone had seen his hair, 3 men came at night to take him. Roxas had killed one of them, and the others had fled. Roxas carried the man into the alley, and the cops disposed of the body. It was understood that it had been self defense. There was a lot of "self defense" going on in the city…

There was a knock on the door, and Roxas threw a towel over his hair quickly. With Kairi over, there was no telling who else might be in the house; better not to risk it. He opened the door a bit, and looked into the dark hallway.

"Heeeey, Roxas…" Sora said slowly. Roxas' stomach sank at his brother's tone; apologetic and anxious.

"What did you do Sora?" he groaned.

"Why do you automatically assume I did something?!" Sora yelped. Roxas raised his eyebrows and Sora ducked his head.

"Okay, yeah. I usually do something, but I swear: I didn't mean to!" he whimpered. Roxas shouldered past him and into the kitchen. Aerith was sitting at the table with her head in her hands. Kairi was gone, and his father Cloud was seething at the table. He looked at Sora questioningly.

"Okay…what happened?" Roxas asked in dread. Sora scuffed his foot and looked up at Cloud.

"Oh no, _you_ get to be the one to tell him, Sora." he growled. Sora sighed quietly and looked back at Roxas.

"Iaccidentallykindofkilledyourplant!" Sora said quickly. Roxas grabbed Sora by the shoulders.

"You did WHAT?!"

"-plant…wasn't my fault…." Sora grumbled under his breath. Roxas slapped him across the face and struck at his chest weakly.

"Sora, how could you? Do you know how hard I worked for that? 6 _weeks_! 6 WEEKS!" Roxas shouted. Sora stuck his chin up in defiance.

"So what! It's just a little plant! It's not like it even grew yet!" Sora yelled back. Roxas let go of his brother and stepped away from him.

"How can you say that, Sora? I worked hard for that; I worked hard for this _family_, while you sat around with Kairi. So thank you. Thank you for once again proving why I have to be the one to take care of this family!" Roxas whispered. He left the kitchen and walked into the greenhouse slowly. The last little shoot in the row was plucked. The little leaves that were sprouting off of it had been pulled systematically; it was no accident. Sora had gone out of his way to kill what Roxas worked for every day. The little leaves were already yellowing at the edges and the stem was curling in on itself. Roxas sighed and pulled it out of the dirt. He clipped some of the hair-thin roots and put them in a small pot. Maybe he would be able to salvage even _part_ of the plant… He discarded the dead leaves and shut the door to the greenhouse behind him.

Roxas walked into his room quietly and looked in the mirror over his dresser. His light blond hair caught the light coming through his blinds and reminded him how similar he was to his father. Same crazy style and color, but none of the same problems. As a soldier, Cloud's hair served as a beacon. It drew attention to him, a fact he used to his advantage. Every enemy made him stronger, and as the sun caught _his_ hair, it seemed to lighten the hearts of the men fighting around him. But, for Roxas, if anyone saw his hair, he had to make sure to take a bat to bed with him.

When people first started hearing about children getting kidnapped, many dyed their hair or cut it off. Aerith wouldn't let him; she always told him he was beautiful the way he was, and that he shouldn't have to hide. She cried when he dyed it black once, and since then, Roxas had just covered it to keep her happy. When he went to work, he made sure to keep his hood up, and when he went home, he always had something on hand to hide his hair.

Roxas climbed into his bed a fell asleep quickly. Tomorrow would be a long day.


	3. Discovered

Roxas woke up as early as ever. His parents were still asleep, and he didn't know where Sora was. He drank a glass of water and pulled up his hood. Time for work.

Roxas walked the pre-dawn streets quickly. He made the long journey at a swift pace, running every now and then when he heard something behind him. The blonde arrived at the factory about 15 minutes later and walked inside. He punched in with his timecard and walked into the large room. Assembly lines moved quickly and teenagers darted in between the flashing machinery. Roxas grabbed a wrench case and went to work with a group of kids he knew. Zexion was there, along with Marluxia. They had their hair uncovered and tied back loosely as the machines gave of bursts of steam occasionally. Zexion was leaning against an open red tank, watching the water swirl inside it darkly. Marluxia was joking with him, and saw Roxas walk up.

"Hey, Rox… come on: let's get to work." Marluxia said happily. Roxas nodded and peered in at the water in the tank.

"So…whose job is that?" he asked loudly over the noise in the factory. Zexion looked up quickly and over at Marluxia. The boys rock paper scissored for it, and a few minutes later, Roxas was rolling up his pants to hop in the tank.

The cold water swirled around the lower levels of the tank, and his shoes were soaked quickly as he stooped down to tighten the bolts on the bottom of the tank as the water sloshed. The bolts held the grid in place that would strain the bits of metal from the water poured inside the tank. Other teenagers were doing the same thing in other parts of the factory as the adults worked on the bigger machines they could fit inside. Roxas was in the tank for hours, tightening his way around the base and moving on to the next level. He lifted a grate, and slid into the next level of the tank. The water rose up higher on his body and Roxas shivered as the cold reached up to his neck.

For this level of the tank, he'd have to hold his breath and tighten the bolts, then take a breath, and move on to the next bolt. Roxas inhaled deeply and got started. He worked his way around, trying not to inhale water when the wrench slipped and rapped his knuckles every once and a while. The cold water made it hurt worse, and Roxas bobbed to the surface frequently to talk to Marluxia.

"You okay in there, Roxas?" the other boy called down. Roxas looked up at Marluxia. He was about 6 feet down, and the water rose to his shoulders. This was the last layer of the tank he would do; anything deeper and he'd need a mask and oxygen tank. Roxas looked up at Marluxia and his teeth chattered.

"N-near-nearly done!" Roxas chattered. Marluxia nodded and moved away from the mouth of the tank to tell Zexion to get Roxas' dry clothes from the locker room. Roxas inhaled deeply and sank into the cold water to tighten the last of the bolts. He finished and grabbed onto the grate to pull himself onto the higher level. The grate swung down as he pulled and hit him in the face. Roxas sank below the dark water and the grate clanged closed over him. His blood seeped into the water as it gurgled and eddied around him chillingly. The water closed over his head and Roxas sank to the bottom of the tank.

* * *

Marluxia wandered over to Zexion and poked him in the shoulder.

"Hey, Zex, Roxas is nearly done. Go get his warm clothes, will ya?" Zexion nodded and took off toward the locker room. Marluxia glanced around the factory and back over at the tank he and Roxas had been working on. Roxas was the smallest, and the unluckiest, so he was usually the one that had to climb in, while Marluxia got to stay outside and talk to him. He made sure Roxas knew what time it was and they talked about nonsensical things. Marluxia didn't know much about the small boy, but Roxas knew a lot about Marluxia. Marluxia liked to think he was friends with Roxas, but the truth was, he just didn't know the boy well enough. Marluxia sighed and walked back over to their tank. Roxas must still be in there; he wasn't sitting next to the tank or waiting for Marluxia to help him out. The dark water sloshed and Marluxia grew worried as time went by. Zexion came back with Roxas' clothes, and Roxas was still nowhere to be seen. Marluxia and Zexion looked at each other, and then into the dark tank. The water lapped over the grates, and sank down again. Marluxia squinted, and saw something in the water. Roxas' hood was against the grate as he lay facedown in the water. Marluxia screamed and jumped into the tank. He pulled at the grating and hauled Roxas out of the cold water. He picked Roxas up, astonished at how light the boy was, even soaking wet. Zexion leaned over the mouth of the tank and Marluxia handed Roxas to him. Marluxia scrambled out of the tank after them and onto the cement floor of the factory. The other workers stopped what they were doing to stare. Roxas wasn't breathing and blood marked a gash in his forehead from the grating. Zexion lay him down carefully and put his ear next to Roxas' mouth. He shook his head, and started to give Roxas CPR. They could hear the water sloshing inside his stomach and lungs, and as Zexion pumped his chest, water spewed out of his mouth. Marluxia helped him sit up, and rubbed his back. Zexion scooted away from him quickly. Roxas looked at him questioningly. As Marluxia had rubbed his back, Roxas' hood had slipped off, revealing his blonde hair. The factory workers inhaled as one, and Roxas realized what had happened. He snatched up his hood quickly, but it was too late, everyone had already seen.


	4. Taken

As the workers watched him anxiously, Roxas hid his hair under his hood again. Marluxia stood next to him, shooting daggers at anyone that dared step too close. Zexion was a few feet back and Roxas looked at him sadly.  
"So…you stand with them now, Zexion?" Roxas asked quietly. The slate haired boy looked at him angrily.  
"How could you hide something like this from us?! I thought I was your friend!" Zexion said angrily. Roxas looked at the ground as the taller boy yelled at him.  
"I'm sorry, Zex… I have to take care of my family… That's why I hid this…I'm sorry." Roxas said quietly. Marluxia gasped and stepped away from him to join Zexion. Roxas glanced up at the taller boys.  
"You too, Marly?" Roxas whispered. Marluxia glared down at him.  
"You said 'family.' I didn't even know you _had_ a family. You hide so much from us, Roxas. I thought I knew you; but you're just as fake as everyone else. You deserve whatever you get!" Marluxia yelled. Roxas stepped back in shock and the crowd of people moved away from him. Roxas glanced around like a cornered animal.  
"So what! You're afraid to be near me?! You know me," Roxas said sadly, "I'm just a kid! I need this job…"  
"See, but that's the problem Roxas. We _don't_ know you. I don't even know your last name!" Zexion spat at him. Roxas turned to leave and no one stepped forward to stop him. The halogen lights buzzed and the light made his hair not hidden by his hood shine even brighter. Marluxia shook his head and turned his back on the small boy; that was the final straw for Roxas.

* * *

Roxas left the factory and started for his house. Every shadow made him jump as he imagined it was a kidnapper coming to steal him away. Roxas walked quickly as he heard footsteps behind him. Roxas broke into a run and he heard a car start behind him. Headlights lit the street and Roxas dashed into an alley beside the road. He tumbled over piles of garbage and boxes in haste to leave the road. He ducked into an open door and panted in the darkness. Terror filled minutes dragged by, and Roxas heard the car drive by slowly. After another ten minutes, Roxas left the alleyway and walked home. The blonde boy opened his door, and locked the deadbolts behind him. Roxas heard his father yell something from the kitchen, but he continued on into his bedroom. Roxas locked the additional bolts on his bedroom door and crawled into his bed. The cut on his head was still bleeding, and Roxas fell asleep quickly as the world around him grew fuzzy.

* * *

Roxas dreamed he was back in the world his mother spoke of. There were trees and flowers everywhere. Aerith had grown up in the country, far away from the city life her family was used to. Aerith's sister, Yuffie, was always bounding along after her sister, tugging at her long braid and giggling when Aerith would let her untie the long plait. Aerith and Yuffie would play in the open meadow and the world smelled of flowers. The world didn't smell like that anymore. There were no more flowering meadows. There were only concrete wastelands and smoggy cities. Roxas heard a door open in the meadow and the sunlight dimmed. Roxas looked around anxiously before falling asleep again in his dream.

* * *

Sora stood in the doorway to his brother's room. Roxas was curled up in a ball underneath his covers with his hair hidden even as he slept. Sora sneered at his brother's small form and walked over to the window. He looked out at the dark world and flipped open the catch on the window. Cool night air slid inside, making Roxas whimper in his sleep. Sora shook his head and walked out of his brother's room.

Roxas looked around in his dream as dark creatures swarmed into the meadow. Shadows lept at him and Roxas tripped backwards. He fell onto his back and the air whooshed out of him. The boy panted and a shadow slid closer to him. It preened and looked down at the blonde boy.

"Hey there, Roxas…" the shadow whispered. _That sounds like Rai…_ Roxas thought sleepily. _Why is Rai in my room?_ Roxas looked up at the huge shadow and saw two smaller shadows next to it. _Fuu and Seifer…_ Roxas opened his eyes, and the Rai-shadow clamped down on his arms. Fuu covered his mouth and Seifer got to work on binding his hands and feet. Roxas' blue eyes rolled as they overpowered him. Rai picked him up and they crawled out of Roxas' open bedroom window. Roxas' head hung over Rai's back as the tall boy carried him down the street. Fuu was slinking along behind them and Seifer was talking into a cell phone. The boy was speaking loudly enough that Roxas could overhear some of the conversation.

"We got him. When do you want us to drop him off?" Seifer sneered into the phone.  
"Usual time is fine." A voice answered him. Roxas glanced around. He was back near his work. Factories loomed overhead and the tangy smell of rust hung in the air. Rai tightened his grip on the small boy as Roxas started struggling again and inhaled to scream. Fuu ran up behind him and the last thing Roxas remembered before the darkness was her fist slamming across his face.


	5. note

First and foremost, I am incredibly sorry for the long periods between chapters. **Stories will continue to be updated in the coming future.**

I was diagnosed with a serious medical problem a few months ago, and the medication I take now makes it very hard for me to attach myself to my stories the way that I used to. I had to have sensors hooked up to my head by a neurologist and they discovered that I had been having seizures almost constantly while I was sleeping, and nearly every 10 minutes when I was awake. No one had ever detected it before because I never displayed any outside symptoms beside headaches.

Now the medication that I take essentially makes the electrical connections in my brain run differently, and I'm not used to it yet, even after almost 4 months.

My brain is used to functioning in the most complicated way possible, due to massive amounts of scar tissue. Signals would be sent, get half way to a destination, then be stopped by scar tissue, and have to find an alternate route. The best way to explain my condition is to compare it to someone watching tv, and clicking through the channels rapidly, and not focusing on the picture. I can see what's changing, but I couldn't tell you what I was watching: if it was a sports program, a cooking show, etc. You could ask me what I was doing, and I wouldn't be able to tell you. I would have to look down, and reinterpret what I was doing. Now, with the medication, it forces my brain to slow down and focus on the picture. I'm still not watching the program, but my brain can now interpret what I'm seeing. The only way for me to solve the problem of my seizures is to undergo extensive brain surgery, which is not recommended for my age (18), the location of my scar tissue, or the amount of scar tissue I have (a lot).

I will be on medication for the rest of my life, because I can't have the surgery without a high level of risk. I thank you for your understanding. **All of my stories will continue to be updated when I have time.**


End file.
